I’m 100 days out from my major back surgery. I continue to participate in post-op meetings with the surgeon and her team. They tell me what I can’t do. They continue to tell me to wear this terrible back brace. They have an acronym, BLT (as in one of my favorite sandwiches), …
Boy, if I had known this 30 years ago, my life would have been prettier. Here is my message to me: I don’t need to win the fight. I don’t need to be victorious in the argument. I don’t even need to get my own fair share. If I lose the contest, it’s okay. If someone …
How can I look at my darn wrinkled face for more than a quick, passing glance? About once a week, I have a moment while I’m shaving or attempting to take wax out of my left ear or picking aged beef out of my lower right molar when I just stop and stare at me …
Don: “What role does fear play in your thoughts about dying?” Ben: “I’d like to say not at all, but I don’t want to lie, particularly being so close to the end. I don’t think it’s the actual dying that scares me – it’s the fear of the unknown. Give me a video …
So I’m sitting on one of those red swivel counter seats at this breakfast spot in Carson City. No one has chosen to sit next to me. I can’t blame them. I’m going around and around and around at breakneck speed, or so it appears to me. I might be confused for an aging Peggy …
Hey, boys and girls in our 70s and 80s, I know who the real Lone Ranger was! Gather around and let me tell you the story of Bass Reeves. Bass was born to slave parents in 1838 in Crawford County, Arkansas. Before he died in 1910, Bass had brought over 3,000 outlaws to …
This week, Ben talked with me about what he thinks is “next.” You will notice he’s a creative thinker and his Catholic upbringing provides some parameters for his heavenly wanderings. Don’t let his humor lead you to overlook his thoughtful musings. I know Ben well. This is …
I make an effort to spend time with super smart people. One of them, of the academic variety, encouraged me to look up the work of Erik Erikson because he created a model for aging and coined the phrase ”identity crisis.” Wow, can you imagine that! I focused on the …
Above: Ben retrofitted his walker with a shelf so he can better carry things around the house. I was curious about the process Ben and Ann went through in making their choice of refusing additional medical support to prolong life and to stay at home during Ben’s final days. …
Good friends make fun of me when they discover I enjoy singing along to country and western songs. I take the insults with great pride and belt out, “I’m a member of a country club. Country music is what I love.” That generally gets the bad guys on their way. These are the …
